By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
UNDER THE marble ceilings of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, rival political forces from Rivers State sat face-to-face in a landmark reconciliation meeting brokered by President Bola Tinubu, seeking to end over a year of bitter power tussles that paralysed governance in the oil-rich region.
Seated at the closed-door session were Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike, Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Speaker Martins Amaewhule, and suspended members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
The meeting came three months after Tinubu imposed emergency rule in the state, suspending the governor, his deputy Ngozi Odu, and the entire legislature following an irreconcilable breakdown in governance.
The crisis, which had pitched Wike-Fubara’s political mentor turned adversary-against the suspended governor, spiralled into a constitutional quagmire.
Accusations, attempted impeachment threats, and deepening divisions in the assembly brought Rivers to the brink, prompting the president to act under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution by appointing retired naval chief Ibok-Ete Ibas as sole administrator.
Emerging from the Thursday night talks, Wike declared the feud resolved, stating that “everything is over.”
Flanked by Fubara and the suspended lawmakers, he said they had “agreed to work together with the governor,” reiterating that all sides now recognised the importance of unity in governance.
Fubara, in a separate remark, confirmed that an agreement had been reached “with leaders of the state” to restore peace and pledged commitment to ensuring stability moving forward.
“What we need for the progress of Rivers State is peace,” he said. “By the special grace of God… peace has returned.”
Previously, the political fallout had not only shaken Rivers but attracted widespread condemnation. Key national voices, including opposition leaders Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and civil rights groups like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and PANDEF, had all criticised Tinubu’s emergency declaration and the suspensions that followed.
Despite the pushback, the presidency defended the move as a necessary measure to preserve law and order, citing rising security concerns and the explosive political face-off within the oil-rich state. Pipeline sabotage and threats of further unrest added urgency to the federal intervention.
Earlier in June, Fubara had visited the president at his Lagos residence during Tinubu’s private stay in the commercial capital.
Also, this latest meeting is marking the second time President Tinubu has met with Fubara since his March suspension.
Though President Tinubu did not make a public statement following Thursday’s reconciliation, media footages showed a notable shift in tone as political rivals smiled, shook hands, and posed for photographs, which are seen as gestures that signalled a de-escalation of tensions in a long-fraught political saga.
